Fiesta Arts and Crafts show opens at West Beach

Nearly 30 vendors boasting an array of art, jewelry, clothing and assorted toys set up shop along West Beach Saturday for the annual Fiesta Arts and Crafts Show. 

This year’s show featured more than a dozen local craft vendors selling hand made art pieces, clothing and jewelry. A number of vendors who were slated to participate in the Mercado De la Guerra also participated in Saturday’s event, most of which sold small toys, clothing and various knicknacks. 

The show ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and will resume today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

The Arts and Crafts show was heavily trafficked throughout the day on Saturday, with locals walking up and down the sidewalks of Cabrillo Boulevard browsing the wide range of goods available for purchase.  

After a year and half without outdoor craft shows, a number of vendors were happy to be back out selling under the sun on Saturday. 

One such vendor was Karen Greenberg, a jewelry designer based in Solvang. She made the trek down to Santa Barbara to participate in the Fiesta Arts and Crafts show this year, as she had done for about five years before the pandemic canceled last year’s show. 

Saturday’s show was the first craft show in which Ms. Greenberg had participated for more than a year and a half. Under the sunny skies, Ms. Greenberg said it was great to be back in Santa Barbara and great to see customers feeling upbeat once again. 

“Everybody that comes through is in a good mood,” Ms. Greenberg told the News-Press. “It’s wonderful.”

“People are just grateful to be out and about, and sometimes they even come on down from San Luis Obispo or Ventura just to get out of town or just to see different scenery,” she added. 

In addition to the local vendors participating on Saturday, various vendors also travelled from out of town to sell their goods at the Arts and Crafts show. 

Artist Leela Asfaw travelled from Las Vegas to participate in the show after a friend and fellow artist recommended she attend this year. Her beach-inspired resin art was a hit on Saturday, as many passerby stopped in to view her unique collection of ocean wine glasses, coasters and cutting boards. 

Throughout the pandemic, Ms. Asfaw said she utilized social media and her website to reach customers and continue to sell, but said she prefers in-person art shows. 

“I feel like in-person shows are best for me because people can get to know me for who I am and also see my art and what kind of work goes into it,” Ms. Asfaw told the News-Press. “COVID has definitely halted everything, and I didn’t do a market for like eight months. I finally opened in December, and I’m just so happy to be able to connect with people again.” 

The final day of the Fiesta Art and Crafts Show will cap off a week of celebratory events across the city, a number of which were sidelined due to COVID-19 concerns. For information on events happening today, visit sbfiesta.org/events-calendar. 

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